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Animation Program at Loyalist Grows – Summer Camps Inspire Students to Envision and Create

August 30, 2007

Loyalist’s two summer animation camps were a great success. Each intensive, five-day camp gave participants, aged ten to 15, the opportunity to envision it, sketch it, make it and animate it. Held in Loyalist’s state of the art animation lab, students created three to four animations, a custom character with motion, flip books and a DVD joint claymation film with audio. To ensure that the campers have the opportunity to continue to improve their newly learned skills, each participant received a free version of SoftImage XSI – modtool software.

 

“This has been incredible,” said Amy, a grade eight Belleville student. “Animation looks so simple, but when you actually start learning about it and doing it, it’s really complex. The instructors were great and showed us step-by-step how to build models and make them move. I feel like I really accomplished a lot by being here this week.”

 

Dylan is a grade seven student from Colborne who learned about the camp when he saw a pamphlet at his school. “I was interested in animation, but had never worked with it before,” he said. “The camp has really been fun and I can’t believe the different 3-D shapes I’ve learned to create. I made dragons from mesh cubes, created cartoon characters and was shown how to put them in motion. This will be a great hobby and with the software we received I’ll be able to continue learning and improving. This has definitely been one of my best camp experiences ever.”

 

“The younger the kids, the better they tend to learn,” added Geoff Davidson, Animation Professor at Loyalist and instructor of the summer camps. “The reason for this is that they have no fear. They are so busy having fun that they’re not afraid to try new things and as a result, accomplish more in this one-week camp than many older students are able to. If a child has an interest or aptitude in this area I always encourage their parents to give them the opportunity to start learning as soon as possible. They’re just like a sponge, soaking up all the information and are quick to apply it.”

 

College President Maureen Piercy noted that the popularity of the summer camps indicates the strong interest in the animation area. “We are very pleased as we see the success of our summer camps program for younger students and our spring program for secondary school students as further confirmation of the strength of this exciting education and career field. The expertise of our Loyalist computer animation faculty and staff is building a new area of excitement and reputation for our College,” she said.

 

In May, Loyalist hosted a one-week animation camp for students in grade 11 and 12 that was equivalent to an Introduction to Animation college-level course. Students who completed the camp and choose to enroll in Loyalist’s Animation program will receive credit for the course. Graduates of Loyalist’s three-year advanced diploma Animation program are prepared for careers in video gaming, 2D/3D computer animation, and scientific, architectural and industrial visualization. For more information regarding the Animation program call Geoff Davidson, Animation Professor at (613) 969-1913, ext. 2154 or e-mail GDAVIDSO@loyalistc.on.ca.

 

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Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332, email: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca , or Geoff Davidson, Animation Professor, Loyalist College, 969-1913, ext. 2154

 

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